Say ‘NO’ to Sin
Do not give ear to it.
Introduction
A few months ago, I watched the film Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, a fantasy film based on the novel by C.S. Lewis.
A particular scene stuck my memory. The children had returned to Narnia and hundreds of years had passed since their first adventure at Narnia. They quickly became embroiled in a battle to save Narnia.
In the heat of battle, when defeat was impending, some of the enemies conjured a portal to summon the previously defeated white witch (i.e. symbol of the devil). Two of the protagonists (i.e. Prince Caspian and King Peter) looked into the portal and were immediately entranced by the witch. She offered them success and promised them defeat over their enemies.
Just when Prince Caspian and King Peter were about to fall into the temptation, Edmund (who was previously tempted and held captive by the witch) came into the cave and without a word, used his sword to destroy the portal on which she was appearing.
Immediately, Caspian and Peter awoke from their stupor and were greeted by the altar in which Aslan (i.e. symbol of Jesus) had previously been sacrificed.
Once Bitten Twice Shy
You can read my synopsis and review of the lion, the witch and the wardrobe here.
In summary, four children entered the mystical world of Narnia via a wardrobe and one of them (i.e. Edmund) encountered the white witch. He was bewitched by her magic and developed a maddening appetite for magic Turkish Delight. This eventually led him to betray his siblings and created cause for Aslan to sacrifice his own life under the hands of the white witch to save Edmund. Yes, in many ways, the lion, the witch and the wardrobe eluded to the story of the passion of Jesus.
An interesting note: Edmund’s first encounter with the white witch was a pleasant enough one — Delicious food, gentle conversation and the promise of unlimited supply of magic food. Unfortunately, when Edmund next met the witch, all he got was a cruel reception and stale bread. A good reminder to all of us that the devil NEVER lives up to his promises.
With that said, it was satisfying to see that Edmund had grown so much. Post Aslan’s death, he was the only male character amongst them who had the prudence to resist the White Witch’s temptation. It was incredible. He did not bother to engage in any conversation with her. He simply snuck behind her, drew his sword and destroyed the portal.
In the white witch’s absence, Prince Caspian and King Peter immediately awoke from their stupor. It occured to me at once that if either of them had been the one who was approached by the white witch at first entry into Narnia, their fate would have probably been the same as Edmund — tempted and broken.
When it come to sin, none of us are impenetrable. The more we give ear to temptation, the stronger it becomes. The best thing we can do is to terminate it at first detection. Be firm with your stance and pray for our Lord Jesus, who was tempted but without sin, to save us.
“For it is not as if we had a high priest who is incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us; but we have one who has been tempted in every way that we are, though he is without sin. Let us be confident in approaching the throne of grace, that we shall have mercy from him and find grace when we are in need of help.” (Hebrews 4:15–16)
My Story
In my youth I made many mistakes. And for these mistakes I suffered dearly. I always wondered why God allowed me to go through so much suffering. I felt that God did not love me. But I know now that he does. Like Edmund, I had to go through all those trial to learn the deceit of the devil.
What have I gained after such suffering? Intuition. Unlike in the past, I can now sense it when the devil is near and his lies are again at play.
And yet, I still fall into temptation from time to time. Those are the times when I give ear to the devil’s empty promises and find myself stuck in the rut.
Thank goodness for me, Our Lord Jesus Christ has always been faithful to his promises. He has come to my aid every single time I called upon him. Hence, the most important I have learned is this: Don’t rely on your strength, rely entirely (100%) on Jesus and you will be fine.
In time, like Caspian and Peter, the fog will be lifted and you can see very clearly that all that has passed was purely a temptation and a lie.
Thank you so much for saving me Lord!
Conclusion
I wrote an entry yesterday about how I enjoy the simple things in life and cannot understand why others can not be satisfied with simplicity.
I know now that that was written with a good amount of pomposity and pride. Indeed, contentment is a blessing from God. It means that for a time, I am walking above the water and enjoying the peace and joy of the Lord.
For others who are under the captive of sin (e.g. avarice, lust, gluttony), it is a given that they can not be content with simplicity. It is not that they do not want to. They just lack the capacity.
Sin is a state in which one has fallen from God’s grace and given ear to the devil’s temptations. But all is not lost, like Edmund, when we rise from the temptations, we will become stronger and more ready to call upon the Lord for help.
But first, we have to have to courage to make a clean cut with sin no matter how painful we imagine it to be.
When it comes to sin, the answer should always be ‘NO’, no matter how beautiful the promise is. The answer is still ‘NO’. Not even once.
God Bless!
